text:
Permanent order blocking Biden's mask, vaccine mandate for Head Start could be appealed
(The Center Square) — With a permanent injunction issued in a case against President Biden's mask and vaccine mandate for Head Start child care centers, the only question is whether federal officials will appeal the ruling.
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty struck down the mandate on Wednesday, finding the edict poses a "substantial threat of irreparable injury" to the two dozen states that sued.
He granted a permanent injunction against federal agencies enforcing the mandate, which required masks for toddlers and staff, as well as a requirement for a COVID vaccination or weekly tests for adults.
Any appeal would be filed with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which handles cases from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
"I am grateful Judge Doughty applied the law and blocked this federal overreach from burdening some of our neighbors most in need," Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said. "As I said when we first filed suit, masking two-year-olds and force vaccinating teachers in our underserved communities would impede child development and cost jobs; fortunately, this attack has been thwarted."
Doughty found the Head Start teachers and 24 states that sued over the mandate would face a "substantial threat of irreparable injury" if it wasn't struck down.
"Plaintiff States will incur the increased cost of training and of enforcing the Head Start Mandate, will be unable to enforce their laws, and will have their police power encroached. The Court finds that this would be an irreparable injury," Doughty wrote. "The Plaintiff States' citizens will suffer irreparable injury by having a substantial burden placed on their liberty interests because they will have to choose between losing their jobs or taking the vaccine."
The lead plaintiff in the case, Louisiana preschool teacher Sandy Brick, was represented by the Pelican Institute and the Liberty Justice Center.
"Louisiana teacher Sandy Brick has been serving her students through adversity and uncertainty the last two years. Today, this decision vindicates her right to teach without sacrificing her freedom," Sarah Harbison, attorney with the Pelican Institute, said Wednesday.
Liberty Justice Center attorney Daniel Suhr vowed to "continue to fight for teachers like Sandy and the low-income students they serve until every illegal and unjustified mandate is wiped from the books."
"Today's decision is a significant step toward undoing the injustice perpetrated against everyday Americans throughout the COVID-19 crisis," he said in a Wednesday release.
Doughty, who previously struck down the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, explained the Head Start ruling boils down to a balance between the public interest and individual liberty.
"Although vaccines arguably serve the public interest, the liberty interests of individuals mandated to take the COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any interest generated by the mandatory administration of vaccines," he wrote.
Doughty's permanent injunction applies to Head Start programs in Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
This story was updated to add a link to yesterday's breaking news story and that any appeal would be filed with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
By Victor Skinner | The Center Square contributor
COVID-19COVID-19 vaccine
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CBO projects Social Security funds to be exhausted
U.S. debt default could cost 6 million jobs


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Q: Pandas groupby each value from a column I have my dataset looking like this:

df = pd.DataFrame({"title":["movie1","movie2","movie3","movie4","movie5","movie6","movie7"],"genres":["Childrens Comedy","Comedy Drama","Western","Comedy Action","Action Childrens","Drama","Drama"],\
    "rating":[3,4,1,2,5,4,2],"user_id":[1,1,4,2,2,3,5], "gender":["F","F","F","M","M","M","M"]})

I would like to get the count of ratings given of each gender for each movie genre separately.
Expected output:

In the expected output we group by gender and want to count how many times each gender gave a rating in the specific movie genre (even if a movie has more movie genres).
Code until now but does not give the right output:
df.groupby(['genre','gender']).agg({"rating":"count"})

It doesn't give the right output as it groups only the genres that are fully the same. In that case only movie6 and movie7 will yell the correct results.
How do I group by each value in the genre column? I do not want to one hot encode them, as I already tried but the movie genres are so many in the real dataset that it simply doesn't work.
Thank you in advance!

A: First use Series.str.split with reassing back to same column and DataFrame.explode, then get counts by GroupBy.size and add 0 for missing combinations by Series.unstack and DataFrame.stack trick:
df1 = (df.assign(genres = df['genres'].str.split())
         .explode('genres')
         .groupby(['genres','gender'])["rating"]
         .size()
         .unstack(fill_value=0)
         .stack()
         .sort_index(level=[1,0], ascending=[False, True])
         .reset_index(name='count')
         )
print (df1)
      genres gender  count
0     Action      M      2
1  Childrens      M      1
2     Comedy      M      1
3      Drama      M      2
4    Western      M      0
5     Action      F      0
6  Childrens      F      1
7     Comedy      F      2
8      Drama      F      1
9    Western      F      1

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Mini Review: Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen - 3.5 stars
Title: Finding Baba Yaga
Genre: Fantasy Retelling
Author: Jane Yolen
A young woman discovers the power to speak up and take control of her fate—a theme that has never been more timely than it is now…
You think you know this story.
You do not.
A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairy tale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, herself....
A mythic yet timely novel-in-verse by the beloved and prolific author and poet Jane Yolen, "the Hans Christian Andersen of America."
Publisher: Tor
Publication: October 30th 2018
Cover Rating: 5/5
Goodreads | Amazon
Whew, this was one weird book. It goes from a somewhat modern time period with Natasha who has a controlling father that she wants to get away from then it goes to the woods where she meets Baba Yaga. From there she meets another young woman but this young woman isn't as headstrong as Natasha and she lets a guy get into her heart and take her away to some castle. That is pretty much the gist of the outside story.
The inside story is about Natasha trying to find herself in a world where she was constantly controlled by her father. Finding Baba Yaga helped Natasha find herself. The story is very whimsical and strange but it is also beautiful if you take the time to understand what is going on.
Side note: I would like to thank this book for reminding me about Baba Yaga. When I started reading another book series, Throne of Glass, there are some witches in the book that are described like Baba Yaga with the iron teeth and nails, etc. Without reading this book previously before starting Throne of Glass I probably wouldn't have put those clues together.
Overall, I gave the book 3.5/5 stars.
REVIEW: Crown of Thunder by Tochi Onyebuchi - Paige
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Razorbill/Penguin. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, romance, slight mature scenes, sins, and slight gore)
Taj is headed west, but the consequences of leaving Kos behind confront him at every turn. Innocent civilians flee to refugee camps as Karima's dark magic continues to descend on the city. Taj must return, but first he needs a plan.
With Arzu's help, Taj and Aliya make it to the village of her ancestors, home of the tastahlik—sin-eaters with Taj's same ability to both battle and call forth sins. As Taj comes to terms with his new magic, he realizes there are two very different groups of tastahlik—one using their powers for good, the other for more selfish ends.
Aliya is struggling with her own unique capabilities. She's immersed in her work to uncover the secret to Karima's magic, but her health begins to mysteriously deteriorate. With the help of a local western mage, Aliya uncovers her true destiny—a future she's not sure she wants.
As Taj and Aliya explore their feelings for each other and Arzu connects with her homeland, the local westerners begin to question Taj's true identity. Karima is on his heels, sending dark warnings to the little village where he's hiding. Taj will have to go back and face her before she sends her mostly deadly weapon—Taj's former best friend, Bo.
I felt like for a sequel this book was well done. The writing was still as strong as it was in the first book and the plot was so interesting. I liked the relationships that were explored in this book and I liked how the characters are more developed in this book. I feel that this was a solid book and I would love to see more of this series.
However, I do feel that the ending was very rushed and it felt that there were things that were left unsaid. Some of the parts of this book could have used a bit more fleshing out. I also feel that this book had some continuation issues. It felt that there were some parts of this book that didn't seem to line up with the first book.
Verdict: Overall, I think this is a solid read and the series is fantastic despite my nitpicking. Definitely pick up book 1 and 2 this Halloween season!
REVIEW: Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Razorbill/Penguin! Thanks! All opinions are my own!
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, slight gore, sin)
In the walled city of Kos, corrupt mages can magically call forth sin from a sinner in the form of sin-beasts – lethal creatures spawned from feelings of guilt.
Taj is the most talented of the aki, young sin-eaters indentured by the mages to slay the sin-beasts. But Taj's livelihood comes at a terrible cost. When he kills a sin-beast, a tattoo of the beast appears on his skin while the guilt of committing the sin appears on his mind. Most aki are driven mad by the process, but 17-year-old Taj is cocky and desperate to provide for his family.
When Taj is called to eat a sin of a royal, he's suddenly thrust into the center of a dark conspiracy to destroy Kos. Now Taj must fight to save the princess that he loves – and his own life.
A gritty Nigerian-influenced fantasy.
I had seen this cover in like every bookstore and I've always been so intrigued by it. I will say that the cover very accurately matches the tone and the happenings of the book. The character development in this book is very well done and the plot is interesting throughout the book. I felt like this book was really well written and I think the whole plot was a very interesting concept.
However, I did feel that there were a lot of characters in this book, some of them with similar names, which made it hard for this reader to keep them all straight in her head. I also feel that this book was a tad too slow paced for me.
Verdict: Overall, a very well written and solid read! Definitely recommend.
REVIEW: The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck - Erin
The Lantern's Ember
by Colleen Houck
Published September 11th 2018 by Delacorte Press
ISBN3: 9780399555725
Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.
Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It's difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O'Dare.
Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack's warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos. (GoodReads)
I really did like this book. It's the rushed ending that forces me to only give this book 3 stars. I really thought this book was going to have a sequel…. but no…. the last 20-30 pages just rushes to an end that just wasn't fulfilling. Sure all the characters' stories have an end of some sort… but I wanted more. I really wanted an epic battle. Or at least more to the main story that made sense. It was like the author ran into a page limit and was just like "Ok I guess I'll just smash something that could be a hundred pages into twenty". This book could have been so amazing!
Despite the bad ending, the rest of the book was fun and entertaining. As a HUGE Halloween fan, it was great to see so many spooky character and places connections. Jack is a lantern (Get it? Jack O'Lantern!) and he guards a covered bridge and has a creepy ghostly horse and he likes to ride around with a lit pumpkin to scare people…. Does that description remind you of Sleepy Hollow at all? That's just the tip of the iceberg. He guards a gate to the monster world. There were many gates that he's helped protect in the past including one in Salem, Sleepy Hollow, and Roanoke (three "spooky" towns!!!). In the monster world we have vampires who stories connect to Transylvania, a man made monster who resembles Frankenstein, a mad scientist who owns an island like the island of Dr. Monroe and so many great connections.
Main character wise…. I loved our little witch, Ember, though she did act very naive sometimes. Jack was an interesting guardian, though I feel like his romance was a little too easy. Finny was a good overall sidekick, but nothing super special. Dev was a decent vampire though his longing for Ember got tiresome. The love quadrilateral (yes there were four people instead of our usual three) was kind of odd and a bit pointless. I feel like it was rushed and in some ways just didn't make sense. Many of the other characters in the book we interesting and cool as well, but I feel like they didn't get enough attention. I blame part of that problem yet again on the rushed ending.
Overall, this was a fun quick read especially for the Fall/Halloween season. It's a "clean" read so young tweens and teens of all ages can enjoy it. Give it to someone who's a fan of horror connections.
REVIEW: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - Paige
Disclaimer: I bought this book on my own accord. Yay me!
Recommended Age: 14+ (violence, gore, mature scenes, romance, magic, diversity!!!)
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie's Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.
Holy hell what can I say about this wonderful book? It's like Harry Potter level of addiction and it makes me happy inside! I love this book!! The characters are complex and developed. The plot in intriguing and there's not an "easy way out" or "one simple solution". The book has a lot to talk about in regards to racism and prejudice. The book has an excellent and unique magic system. The book is just WONDERFUL! I was intrigued throughout the book. I felt that the pacing was on point and the writing was well done. I also realized why there was so much hype about this book: IT'S FUCKING GOOD! It's the diverse fantasy that I'm happy and excited to see in the book community and it's the best thing to read when it's rainy outside (I tested this so definitely do this).
The only thing I would nitpick on is that I felt it was a bit long. I feel like the book could have been broken up into two books and it would have still been just as good, so I'm wondering how long this series will be and if there will be enough material for all of those books.
Verdict: Diverse fantasy that we needed yesterday.
REVIEW: Phantom Wheel by Tracy Deebs - Paige
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Little Brown Young Readers and The Novl. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 14+ (hacking, the digital apocalypse, some language, some romance)
Believing they have been recruited by the CIA, six teen hackers arrive in LA for a hacking aptitude test with the promise of a college scholarship and a job with the CIA after graduation. But one of the teens, Owen, walks out, refusing to participate. The other five decide to stay and complete the tests. When they finish, they leave feeling equally accomplished and unnerved.
Then silence-until they receive a text from Owen: You've been played. He's uncovered evidence that the hackers created "Phantom Wheel," the most devastating virus ever made. Jacento, the corporation behind it all, plans to use this virus to gain unprecedented access to personal data. And that's just the beginning of the devastation. Can the teen hackers stop Phantom Wheel-and protect their own secrets from being revealed-before it's too late?
Ever since being with my husband I've developed a fascination with hacker novels. I love asking Ethan if stuff in the books are possible or not and what his opinions on things are and this book wasn't any different. For the most part, I enjoyed the book. I loved the dynamic between the cast of characters, I loved how developed each of the characters were, and I felt that the plot was intriguing enough to keep me interested throughout the book. I felt that the pacing was level throughout the book as well.
The only things that concern me about this book are the time jumps. At times they seem uneven and awkward. The way the kids talk about different computer things and hacking items can be confusing to people who aren't into that or who haven't read books like this before. There's no explanation to the stuff they talk about or do. There are also things the kids do that don't have an explanation to them and the way their written can be confusing. For example, at one point the kids break into a building with a plan to gather something (trying to not be spoilery). The heist goes off like how it would in a movie, but there's no prior explanation to the readers, which is a bit confusing at first. It's like you're an outsider looking in throughout this book and at times it works, but sometimes it really doesn't.
Verdict: A excellent hacker novel that makes you want to binge.
REVIEW: The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas - Erin
Published July 31st 2018 by Delacorte Press
There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.
First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica's sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.
That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it's not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica's world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad's desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn't over. Some people in town know more than they're saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.
There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn't mean anyone else is safe. (GoodReads)
A great murder mystery for the Fall Season. I will admit that I'm not a huge fan of American Football or Cheerleading. It is with huge relief that I tell you that this book has little to do with either of those. The only real connection is that all the girls who died were part of the cheerleading squad and now there is no more cheerleading at their school. The story revolves around Monica, the sister of one of the dead cheerleaders, and her search to figure out if her sister really killed herself or not. All of her sleuthing drags her deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole that is all of the girls' deaths. They're all connected right…. Or are they?
The characters were all well represented in the book. I don't want to give too much away with descriptions of them or their personalities, it might ruin the story. Our main character Monica though is a very strong and intelligent female and I loved seeing that in a Teen mystery story. I'm a little sick of the main female character's storyline getting dragged through romances. Thankfully there is very little of that in this book.
This book was full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing. It's a very dark read that deals with a lot of tough issues like suicide, grief, abortion, alcohol, murder and more. It's defiantly for your more mature teen reader. Give it to older teens looking for a good, creepy, suspense mystery!
REVIEW: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White - 4 stars
Title: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fantasy
Author: Kiersten White
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication: September 25th 2018
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White is a very interesting retelling of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. In this retelling, Victor Frankenstein is portrayed as this mentally ill genius who would do absolutely anything to figure out a way to cheat death. But he didn't just want to cheat death for the sake of science, he wanted to cheat death because he can't imagine his life without his love, his Elizabeth.
Elizabeth lost her father at a young age. That made her an orphan. The woman who was raising her told a wild story about Elizabeth being royalty/she had come from a wealthy family. Elizabeth didn't believe the story, she just thought the woman spun the tail to get her out of her hair. Then, the Frankenstein family bought her as a playmate for their young, strange son, Victor.
We enter the book when Elizabeth has left the Frankenstein estate in order to search for Victor. Victor was away for school after his mother's death and Elizabeth hadn't heard from him for a long time. She sent their friend Henry after him but Henry decided to venture off and do his own thing as well so it was up to Elizabeth to find Victor and bring him home.
Victor was a very odd character. His brilliance was amazing but it would ultimately cause his downfall. Or maybe that was Elizabeth. It all depends on perspective. Either way, I think Victor would have met his downfall one day either by succumbing to his persistent fevers or by killing the wrong person. Regardless of how he dies, I still did not like him from the beginning and quite honestly I didn't like Elizabeth either but together, they wove the most macabre story that was pretty enjoyable.
In the end, everything got turned upside down, things got bloody and Elizabeth had to make some pretty tough decisions in order to survive. The story ended a lot differently than how the actual Frankenstein did
Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.
REVIEW: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Title: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Genre: Young Adult Historical Thriller
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Reading format: Provided ARC/Owned Hardback
I wanted to start this review off by saying I have read this book 3 times now and for some odd reason, I never posted my review for it. I had one all written up and even had the custom synopsis picture I do finished but something happened between point A and point B the follow-through just never happened sooooo I decided to trash the older review and rewrite a new one now that I have read the book AND LOVED IT so many times.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco is a wonderful retelling and reimagining of the Jack the Ripper murders. This book stars the lovely Audrey Rose Wadsworth and the dashing Thomas Cresswell as they assist Audrey Rose's uncle in trying to solve the Ripper murders that are happening throughout the book.
Jack the Ripper is one of my favorite unsolved mysteries that I like to read and watch shows/movies about. So, when I heard about this book it instantly shot to the top of my TBR. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy so I got to read the book before it came out and I don't know if that was a blessing or a curse because then I had to wait over a year for the next book to come out. Sometimes reviewing books early suuuckksss.
During the book Audrey Rose and Thomas team up to try and figure out the murders by themselves. This leads to a lot of mystery and mayhem and perhaps a stolen kiss or two. Oh, how I loved the dynamic between the two characters. Audrey Rose was trying to keep her virtue and good name intact while Thomas was being all sorts of tempting and making lewd jokes and advances. Nothing about the situation was harmful and they just complimented each other perfectly.
I loved the historical aspect of the book. I used to very much dislike historical fiction but ever since this book came out I have been devouring it. Especially if it contains a mystery/thriller element. I might even go so far as to say that Historical Mystery/Thriller is my new favorite genre, aside from plain old Mystery/Thriller.
After many failed attempts at tracking down the killer and even going so far as to name someone very close to her as the killer, the book came to an ending that I truly was not expecting. I can usually guess where a book is going and so far, with Ripper, Dracula, and Houdini, I have not been able to guess the killer until the very last moment before he is revealed. But the killer for Ripper was very shocking and heartbreaking all at once.
In the end, I wish I could fully put into words how amazing I believe this book and the others in this series are but I really don't think there are any words for the emotions I feel when reading this series. I adore these books so much and I want to thank Jimmy Patterson for publishing these and many other amazing books. If you haven't checked out any of the books under this publishing brand then you are seriously missing out!
REVIEW: Book of Shadows by Cate Tiernan - Paige
Genre: YA Horror/Fantasy
Recommended Age: 12+ (something Wiccan this way comes. Seriously, if your parents didn't allow you to read Harry Potter they most definitely won't like this book).
Morgan and her best friend, Bree, are introduced to Wicca when a gorgeous senior named Cal invites them to join his new coven. Morgan falls for Cal immediately? and discovers that she has strong, inexplicable powers.
When my husband and I were little we apparently already had a common interest: witches! We loved stories about these spell casters and we read a ton of book between us about different YA or MG novels concerning the topic. Since my husband kept a ton of his older books and this series concerns witches, he gave the series to me so I can read it. And I loved this book. It was simple and straight to the point about a girl who becomes infatuated with the new guy in school and his religion: Wicca. She and her friends start to practice the art and she comes to the conclusion she is sensitive to the magic. But is that all about our protagonist? The plot and pacing of this book were perfect for how small of a book this was. While this book was mostly just an introductory piece to the series, it wasn't at all boring to me.
However, I didn't feel that the characters were that developed and most were forgettable. There was a huge cast of characters introduced in this short book and it made remembering names very difficult. Maybe if the book had few key characters or if the book was longer then I could have remembered all of them.
Verdict: While there are a bunch of characters, the main storyline is intriguing and I'll definitely be reading the second book of this series.
REVIEW: Asylum by Madeleine Roux - Paige
Genre: YA Horror
Recommended Age: 13+ (jump scares and creepy)
Disclaimer: None, I bought this book on my own!
For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm—formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum's dark past. Because Brookline was no ordinary mental hospital, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.
I like scary books sometimes and I've always heard Madeleine Roux wrote some really good ones. When I read House of Furies last year I wasn't that impressed, but decided to trudge on with Asylum anyways. While I felt it was better, I still didn't enjoy the book that much. I thought the world building was much better than House of Furies and the book has really creepy and cool illustrations, but for the most part, I was disappointed.
I thought the storyline of haunted school was a bit overdone and this one didn't strike me as anything unique. The pacing is a huge issue in the book. There's action over 2-3 pages and then everything is normal again. The chapters are very weirdly done as they do nothing to help with the flow of the book. The character development was almost non-existent and the main character was very frustrating to me.
Verdict: If you can get past how choppy this book is, it's a really good horror book. Otherwise, it's frustrating and tired.
REVIEW: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco - 4.5/5 stars
Title: Hunting Prince Dracula
Genre: YA Historical Thriller
Publisher: Little, Brown
Reading format: Owned Hardback
I loved Stalking Jack the Ripper. Every chance I get to suggest the book to someone, I do, very enthusiastically. So I was BEYOND excited to get my hands on Hunting Prince Dracula. Although there wasn't as much gore aspect in HPD I still enjoyed it just as much, but Audrey Rose needed an attitude adjustment or a Xanax.
We start the story off with Audrey Rose and Thomas on a train on their way to a prestigious forensic school that just so happens to reside in Vlad the Impalers castle. On the ride they find out that the locals are worried that Vlad has risen from the dead and has started to kill people again. Once at the castle the two figure out that there is a killer replicating vampyric deaths and also replicating deaths as if the person was a vampire killed by a hunter. So two very different deaths but also two very similar situations.
I really enjoyed the mystery solving portion of the book but I think I could have lived without the sexual tension between Thomas and Audrey Rose. There was anger where it wasn't needed and sexual thoughts when they weren't needed. I understand the author is trying to advance a romantic plot within the book but sometimes enough is enough. Even with the crazy tension I still found a way to love the book. Especially when we find out that Thomas has one hell of a secret he's been keeping.
Audrey Rose spent the majority of this book worried more about what her peers thought of her and of the fact that she wanted to be an independent woman rather than actually solving anything or doing her forensic work. She was doing a wonderful job of screwing herself over without Thomas or her classmates help. Sometimes being too worried about one thing can really skew what's really important. Also, I found it very interesting that Audrey Rose didn't say anything when Thomas convinced her father to let her go to school. So she only accepts help when it greatly benefits her. Hmm, I hope her attitude improved in the next book.
REVIEW: Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel by A. W. Jantha - Erin
Hocus Pocus & The All New Sequel
by A.W. Jantha
Expected publication: July 10th 2018 by Freeform
Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.
Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on earth to torment Salem for all eternity.
Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison's seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don't quite go as planned, it's a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches' latest death-defying scheme. (Goodreads)
"Another Glorious Morning! It Makes Me Sick!"
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
I was so excited to have a chance and read this book ahead of time. I'm a huge Hocus Pocus fan and have been waiting for more to the story since the original movie came out in the 90's! I wasn't to disappointed in this retelling and sequel. The first half of the book is the original story/movie only there are little "clues" added in that lead to the second half of the book which is the sequel. It was fun to get to read the original story and picture the movie in my head as I was going. I give the author props for doing a good job with the retelling.
The sequel was not as good as the original, but that's ok because I never expected it to be. It was still cute and funny. All of our favorite characters from the original are back in the second, including Binx! There are new characters that are introduced including a long lost sister and the Sanderson Mother! There are obvious twists and we know the kids will save the day again but that's not really the point of the story anyway. It's a story about family, friendship, and trust. On all those points it hits the mark. The sequel does end with a cliffhanger that definitely left me wanting more! I really hope they do another book. While the original was a great movie, I think that the sequel would be better suited as a Disney Channel movie. That's not saying it's not good, it just has more of that kind of vibe. Readers young and old who are a fan of the original movie will enjoy this read. Younger new readers might question what a virgin is so parents be prepared to field that question.
*To see more of Erin's reviews please click her signature to go to her blog
REVIEW: Fairest of All by Serena Valentino - Valeria
Rate: 4/5
Goodreads Description:
The tale of the young princess and her evil stepmother, the Wicked Queen, is widely known. Despite a few variations from telling to telling, the story remains the same—the Queen was jealous of the girl's beauty, and this jealousy culminated in the Queen's attempt on the sweet, naive girl's life.
Another tale far less often spoken of is the one that explains what caused the Queen to become so contemptuously vile. Still, some have attempted to guess at the reason. Perhaps the Queen's true nature was that of a wicked hag and her beautiful, regal appearance a disguise used to fool the King. Others claim that the Queen might have hated the girl for her resemblance to the King's first wife. Mostly, the Queen is painted as a morally abhorrent woman who never loved another being during the course of her miserable life.
In fact, the theories about exactly what caused the Queen's obsessive vanity and jealous rage are too numerous to catalog. This book recounts a version of the story that has remained untold until now. It is a tragic tale of love and loss, and it contains a bit of magic. It is a tale of the Wicked Queen…
I freaking LOVE origin stories
Now I will be the first to admit that the Evil Queen from the Disney Snow White has never been my favorite villain. It could be because she looked super creepy and I would've rather avoided her all together even though I used to watch Snow White over and over again.
But her origin story was absolutely EVERYTHING! I enjoyed it so much and it made me so sad. She really loved and life failed her! That and it was... well actually I shall stop at that because SPOILER ALERT! But like oh my gosh!
I really can't wait to continue the rest of the origins series! This is what I needed all along!
Recommend it?
Yes I do!
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Using POST values submitted via different elements under the same page Title could be misleading. I do have a button with onclick event that calls a function to dump some values into POST variable. It also toggles a modal which have a form that POSTs to current document. A brewer example looks like this:

  <title>Bootstrap Example</title>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.4.1/css/bootstrap.min.css">

Modal title

          <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close">
                        ×
                    </button>

          <form id="form1" action="" method="POST">

              Address for sale:
              <textarea class="form-control" id="address" name="address" rows="6"></textarea>

              Number of sales:
              <input type="number" value="1" class="form-control only-number" id="numsales" name="numsales">

              Quota:
              <input type="number" value="1" class="form-control only-number" id="quota" name="quota">

          <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" data-dismiss="modal">Cancel</button>
          <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary" onclick="evaluate_form()">Save</button>
          </form>

Performance Calculation Form

        <form>

                1. Sales

                a) Sales to a

20

                    <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#modal1" style="position: center;" onclick="send_id('1','a')">Add</button>

                Subtotal
                <input type="text" class="form-control" id="usr">

          <button type="submit" id="submit" name="submit" value="KAYDET"> Submit</button>

        </form>

modal part:

Modal title

        <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close">
                        ×
                    </button>

        <form id="form1" action="<?php echo htmlspecialchars($_SERVER[" PHP_SELF "]); ?>" method="POST">

            Address for sale:
            <textarea class="form-control" id="address" name="address" rows="6"></textarea>

            Number of sales:
            <input type="number" value="1" class="form-control only-number" id="numsales" name="numsales">

            Quota:
            <input type="number" value="1" class="form-control only-number" id="quota" name="quota">

        <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" data-dismiss="modal">Cancel</button>
        <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary" onclick="evaluate_form()">Save</button>
        </form>

There is an 'Add' button that onclick event fires up send_id(val1,val2) function. I'm trying to dump table name and row with this send_id() function via POST method onto same page (Don't know if I implemented it correctly). This Add button also pops-up the modal. Modal have a form in it and its save button submits form with post into same page (Again not sure if I did it right way). And now I need to take all these variables and manipulate them to execute a SQL query. So I also defined an onclick event to modal save button to read all variables inside POST and write down a query via evaluate_form. Too see if I can access POST array I've used alert($_POST); but it bring nothing.
This may be a bad implementation but what I want to accomplish is;

*

*Save info about which add buttton is clicked. A variable is needed so I can use it when executing SQL statements(Writing into correct table).

*A model should pop after clicking add button.

*Modal should include a form and it should be submitted via POST into same page.

*After modal submission, all of these variables (variable of save info and modal form variables) could be acceessed via a function so SQL statements could be arranged.

Thanks.


HP continues its recall program for laptop batteries the company believes could pose a serious risk to users. The latest announcement from HP recalls an additional 101,000 laptop batteries on top of 41,000 batteries recalled in June 2016.
It was discovered that the batteries in question are susceptible to overheating due to the presence of a lithium-ion battery containing Panasonic cells. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety found that those cells have malfunctioned, potentially causing some laptop batteries to melt and char.


text:
Corporate Partnerships and Memberships
Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) and Brisbane Marketing (BM) have entered into a three year multi-million dollar partnership to boost recognition of Brand Brisbane to international audiences, further enhancing Brisbane's position as an international gateway to Australia.
The partnership encompasses a multi-faceted marketing program focusing on international aviation opportunity markets, in an effort to stimulate and drive preference for Brisbane as a leisure, education and business destination.
A key component of this partnership is the recruitment and appointment of dedicated in-market agencies in selected regions, which will be charged with developing, planning and executing a range of trade and marketing activities on behalf of BAC and BM.
Interested parties that fulfil the criteria and are based in the applicable regions are invited to review the Request for Proposal Documentation at the links below. For further information, contact Steven Battle, Manager Special Projects at Brisbane Marketing on [email protected] or Ph: +61 7 3156 6378.
Request for Proposal, North America
Request for Proposal, ASEAN


I can't believe the last blog entry I posted was on December 8th! We've been busy with finalizing work details, finalizing fundraiser plans before year end, attending holiday recitals and parties, spending time with friends......and that was all before we headed out of town for a long vacation with both our families!
But, we're getting back on track, preparing for the new year.
Baking Christmas cookies with daddy back home in frigid South Florida.
Visited my best friend from high school, Laura, and her daughter and husband.
Enjoying the beautiful snow on the farm in Eastern Kentucky.
Keeping this next picture small as it's a horrible picture of me (another whole blog post as to why this will be the only time you get a profile picture out of me)! Notice the surprise on my face (and my father in-laws laughter) as I'm surprised with a brand new, gorgeous (and large, I might add) strand of pearls!! I was/am so excited!! Love them.
I then proceeded to take my Husband for everything else he's got with the cowgirl present Aunt Jess got Lallie.
Grandaddy and Lallie going to feed the cows.
Husband and Brother-in-law, Patrick and their snowman!
We were also with my parents, but only for a couple days as we had just spent a week with them in Apalachicola for Thanksgiving. So, I didn't get many pictures there unfortunately.
Also, as one of the highlights of Christmas, I was asked to be a bridesmaid in Patrick and Jess' wedding in May! Husband as best man, Lallie as one of the flower girls, me as bridesmaid. The entire immediate family on both sides will be taking part, so it will be a very special occasion!
I am SO looking forward to playing blog catch up and finding out what all of YOU did this December! I'll be commenting!
I can't believe my baby girl is getting so big! Well, big as in age. You'll see that she is quite tiny as she is the smallest of the four three-year olds in her class.
I have to apologize for the video, I was shaking so hard because I was trying not to tear up so I could see my baby girl dance. I mean, seriously, I was teary-eyed at all the little tiny dancers, they were all SO cute!!
I'm not quite sure what they were supposed to be dressed up as, it look sort of like a Hershey's kiss costume. They danced to Little St. Nick by the Beach Boys and I could just watch this over and over again with a big grin.
Busy, busy but I have so many wonderful things to tell you about from this weekend, including Lallie's FIRST Dance Recital!!!
In the meantime, there are a few items, including Lilly back up for grabs on the blogsale (Click on the link)! I do ask that if you say you want to buy something and state you will buy something, to please actually pay for it after I invoice you! It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch!!
I doubt that an all pink Christmas tree (meaning, the actual tree itself) will ever fly in our home. I believe that is where Husband would draw the line. However, I am determined to have our second tree adorned in pink, green and Lilly goodness by next year. Here are some of the things I plan on having for that tree. I JUST purchased a coveted Lilly Christmas tree skirt for an unbeatable price off of Shopaholic's Preppy Closet and I cannot wait for it to get her. Though, it may just have to stay packed away until next year.
Now y'all know how much I LOVE Etsy. Forget the mall, give me some money and I could seriously do some damage on Etsy and make a few shop owners very happy campers indeed!
Here are a few of my favorite Lilly inspired shops that would get that money when I go shopping for my pink and green tree.
How cute is this pillow from My Pink and Green Garden? She has loads of different pillows all trimmed out in pink Lilly goodness and I think this would be a very pretty touch on the couch in the room where I would have the Lilly tree. She has "love" and "peace" as well.
In true southern style, I love anything personalized with a name or monogram (as long as it's not TOO over the top). Seriously y'all....one monogram per outfit. Your shoes, shirt, bag, headband and earrings don't all have to be monogrammed.
Moving off my soapbox and back to the tree.
How cute are these personalized ornaments from Home Lush?
For a little extra umph and since I do live in south Florida near the beach, I think I would open this up and fill it slightly with some sand and tiny seashells. Very Lilly-esque don't you think?
One of my favorite shops is Looking 4 Lilly. She has some of the most adorable, unique and reasonably priced Lilly inspired items out there. I love the different sets of ornaments she is selling.
My other favorite shop is LWhelan designs. I have some Lilly inspired pictures from this shop that I absolutely adore and are in my pink/green guest bedroom. I love them and can vouch for LWhelan. Look at these lovely stockings that she makes. Some with my FAVORITE Mommy and Me Lilly fabric. I just love the little monkeys, so cute! What about the Millionaire's Row stocking? Very cute!
The following ornaments aren't from Etsy, but I ran across them in my search last night and they accomplish two things in my opinion. Christmas and southern classic. Aren't they gorgeous? They are from The Ornament Girl.
Do you have a pink tree? How is yours decorated?
Email me at slpreppy@gmail.com if you are interested!
First up, a Lilly Pulitzer Paloma Poncho. Size Small/Medium.
I love this but the poncho just isn't me. I only wore it once. You can still see some of the creases from the bag it was shipped in! This baby retailed for (I think) $295.00?
Black and White Sweater Material with decorative and trim at the top.
J. Crew Pixies - Size 2 - SOLD!!!
Remember these last year, they were all the rage (skinny, thick riding leggings)! Well they are again and I just don't wear them because they are a little too warm for me down here. I wore them a few times but they are still in perfect condition!
I don't normally hang them like this! This was just for the picture.
Adorable zebra print pink and white cowl neck top.
Retailed for $165.00 and is new with tags.
The next two items I'm selling as a set.
NWOT J. Crew Tank Top and Cardigan. SOLD!!!
Dark gray and light gray. The cardigan is lightweight and very soft.
I bought them, removed the tags to wear them one day and immediately took them off.
I'm just too pale for light gray. Very cute with a skinny black belt as professional or without with skinny jeans.
Wore once. One of them is missing one of the "thingys" (for lack of better words).
Bought for $88.00. Will come with the shoe protector drawstring bag.
Tibi Dress Size 0. - SOLD!!!
Stunning all black dress, retailed for over $300.00. Worn twice.
100% Lyocell and has two gold buttons as detail and the top knot is satin on the back side.
Perfect with thin leggings and either boots or TB flats and great for winter as it is a heavier material.
I will be having a blogsale later, so I brought the other camera, the "good" Nikon D90 to work to get the pictures off and discovered some more Apalachicola pictures.
I'll put up the blogsale later, but in the meantime, check out our view of the bay in St. George Island? I could sit there all day and just take in the view. It is just so relaxing and serene and whether you're on the screened in balcony or down on the dock....even in the swings below, it's just a stress free environment.
Here is the main living area inside the house. It also had a full kitchen, dining room/sitting room, another sitting room, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, full laundry room. I mean the works!
Lallie and I were hiding from Daddy, we did not want our picture taken!
We'll be spending lots of time there in the future, I think Lallie is going to think of this place as another home. Here, Kentucky and Apalachicola!


text:
Home | News | Thai news
Taiwanese Man Faces Thai Trial for Allowing Radio Broadcasts into China
Nontarat Phaicharoen
Protesters gather in front of the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington to call for charges to be dropped against Taiwanese citizen Chiang Yung-hsin, Feb. 7, 2019.
Courtesy of Sound of Hope
A Taiwanese businessman is scheduled to face trial in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai city next week on charges that he illegally hosted a radio station that broadcast uncensored news to listeners in China, amid claims that Beijing pressured Thai authorities to shut down the station.
The June 19-20 hearing at the Chiang Mai provincial court comes more than five months after Chiang Yung-hsin, 52, was indicted on charges of setting up the station without a permit for Sound of Hope (SOH), a San Francisco-based radio network that was founded by Falun Gong, a religious movement banned in China, according to court documents.
Chiang, who could be jailed for up to five years if convicted, denies the charges, saying the broadcasting facility was set up by his tenants.
"I did not set up any radio station, but friends used the premises I rented to set up transmitters," Chiang told BenarNews in a brief interview in Bangkok through an assistant while denying the charges against him.
Chiang's attorney was not available for comment. Prosecutors and Chiang's defense team are scheduled to present their cases over the two-day hearing.
Sound of Hope Radio is a public network that broadcasts news to China through shortwave radio signals in nearby countries, spokesman Frank Lee said.
Lee alleged that the Thai government pressured Chiang, who was not aided by a translator, to sign documents pleading guilty at the time of his arrest. He also alleged that Thai officials were pressured by the Chinese government.
"Giving in to the pressure from Beijing to suppress free press is not good for Thailand and its people," Lee told BenarNews.
"Mr. Chiang is a volunteer for SOH, he didn't do this for his own gain. We urge the Thai government to free Mr. Chiang so that he can return to Taiwan to his wife and two children."
But Thai officials flatly rejected the claims.
"Thai law enforcement arrested Chiang without any pressure from the Chinese," a Thai security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told BenarNews.
In August 2018, officials shut down the shortwave radio station broadcasting from property that Chiang rented in Chiang Mai, and arrested him on Nov. 22, 2018. He was released on bail three days later but ordered to remain in Thailand.
Police filed the charges against Chiang alleging that he violated the Radio Communications Act and the Broadcasting and Television Business Act, both of which carry a sentence of up to five years if convicted because he did not have the necessary permission or license to operate, according to various sources.
"The Thai justice system is handling this case," Busadee Santipitaks, spokeswoman for the ministry of foreign affairs, told BenarNews when asked for comment.
Protests against prosecution
In January, press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) spoke out against Chiang's arrest.
"This totally unjustified arrest deals a new blow to the freedom to inform in Thailand and penalizes Chinese listeners who count on this radio station for information that circumvents censorship," RSF said in a news release at the time.
"We call on the Thai authorities to stop abetting Beijing's operations against opposition media outlets and to drop charges against Chiang."
RSF said it has learned that the Chinese government pressured the Thai authorities to shut down the radio station.
Paris-based RSF said Thai officials took the action after receiving a complaint from a "mysterious witness" who claimed to have seen a 30-meter (100-foot) antenna being erected at the site.
SOH insisted that no antenna was constructed because it is not needed for shortwave broadcasting and denied any involvement in "illegal broadcasting," according to RSF.
U.S.-based Freedom House had also spoken out against Chiang's arrest. It said the Thai government took advantage of his limited knowledge of the language and "deceived Chiang into what amounted to signing a confession."
"This is not the first time Beijing has pressured Asian governments to crack down on SOH broadcasts," Freedom House had said in a recent update of press freedom news related to China published on its website. "In 2011, two men in Vietnam were jailed for broadcasting content into China, and Indonesian authorities attempted to shut down SOH affiliate Radio Era-baru, which transmitted programming to local Chinese communities in Southeast Asia."
Lee said the SOH broadcasts were needed.
"SOH believes shortwave broadcasting to China is very critical to the people in there to learn about truthful and accurate news in China and around the world," Lee said. "The Chinese communist regime constantly censors news on its human rights violations, religious persecution and objective news from around the world."
Founded in 1992 in China's northeast, the Falun Gong spiritual movement gained increasing influence as the fastest growing religion in the PRC and overseas over the next seven years. In 1999 the Chinese government at the orders of then President Jiang Zemin began a harsh and sometimes deadly crackdown on the sect, dragging practitioners from their homes and sending them to detention centers.
Outside of China, the movement was considered harmless and continued to flourish. It is often cited as an example of religious persecution in China, with practitioners and allied religious freedom advocates holding protests in major cities to bring attention to the situation faced by Falun Gong believers in the PRC.
UN Report: Organized Crime Has Grown Dramatically in Southeast Asia
ASEAN Defense Ministers Call for Peace, Stability in South China Sea
China Sets up Freeze-Dried Durian Joint Venture in Thai Deep South
ASEAN Makes Little Progress on Security Issues, Analysts Say
Thai Police Detain Two Chinese Refugees amid Repatriation Fears
Thailand to Sign Pact with China, Laos on Bridge for High-Speed Railway
Chinese Dissidents to be Resettled in Canada, Thai Lawyer Says
Arrest, Attacks on Press Threaten Free Speech in India
Asian Nations Among States Moving Toward China Model of Digital Censorship: Watchdog
Bangladesh: 5 Years Later, Police Have Not Revealed Findings in Killing of Journalists


As I stated during one of my status updates, the structure of this book reminded me of I, Robot. In that short story collection, Asimov has a couple guys who work for US Robotics (or whatever the company's called) who somehow always end up being on the scene when one of the robots finds a loophole through the Three Laws of Robotics. I loved both the "cruelty" of the situations Asimov put the guys through and their logic steps as they solved the problem. I don't know if Scalzi was directly influenced by I, Robot, but the crew of The Clarke end up in a similar situation with Wilson and Schmidt playing the parts of the two guys from US Robotics. The book is also structured as a series of short stories with a bit more of an overarching plot linking them than in I, Robot, but they almost function as singular stories.
Although I was slightly disappointed at the ending – it's no less of a cliffhanger than the end of The Last Colony – it didn't detract from my love of the overall plot of the book.
Finally, I have to say that Scalzi has pulled a nice little trick with his Old Man's War series. Each book is definitely science fiction, but it's also another genre and so he's been able to write lots of different genres while still playing off the fame of his sci fi work. The first book was military fiction, the third was frontier drama, the fourth was YA, and this one was essentially a political thriller slash deductive reasoning or whatever you want to classify this book and The Martian as. Well done, Scalzi. Well done.


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The firm has nearly 40 years experience of giving advice in the entertainment industry generally and having particular experience with recording and music publishing, acting for artists, writers, producers and managers as well as many independent record and publishing companies.
We advise and assist our private and commercial clients on a wide spectrum of commercial matters.
We are accustomed to assisting our clients, ranging from private individuals to construction companies and developers, in connection with a wide variety of property transactions.
The firm has extensive experience of advising employers and employees on a wide variety of employment-related issues.
It is very important to make a Will. Should you die intestate (i.e. without having made a Will) you could seriously jeopardise the future security of dependants and loved ones as the Intestacy Rules often work unfairly.
We have experience in drafting and negotiating a variety of agreements used in the construction industry, including building contracts and consultant appointments.
We represent clients in connection with serious criminal offences including complex fraud, tax fraud, bribery and corruption and money laundering. We represent clients facing proceedings brought by the CPS, BIS, HMRC, SFO, FCA and other statutory prosecuting bodies.
Our licensing team offer a broad range of alcohol and entertainment licensing services.


text:
1. IT'S NOT WORKING
3. Politics has failed
4. Corporate Welfare
None of the three main parties are openly committed to funding the NHS adequately.
This is because they are all still hung up on the "tax and spend" myths that the well-respected Cambridge economist Ha-Joon Chang recently called on voters to reject.
These myths create the delusion that there is an inherent virtue in balancing the nation's books. If you stop and think about it for a minute, this is clearly not the case.
If government cuts public spending, on the misapprehension that this will reduce the deficit, it shrinks the economy: the effect is to stop putting money in the pockets of public employees, who stop spending it in the private sector and to stop filling the order books of the public sector.
These are the facts that we need to get our heads around, in order to get rid of the "tax and spend" myths:
READ MORE READ MORE READ MORE
"in an overheating economy, deficit spending would be a serious folly. However, in today's UK economy, some deficit spending may be good – necessary, even"
As Economist, Ha-Joon Chang explains:
The UK welfare state isn't especially large
As of 2016, the British welfare state (measured by public social spending) was, at 21.5% of GDP, barely three-quarters of welfare spending in other comparably rich European countries.
Welfare spending is not consumption
It is not a drain on the nation's productive resources that has to be minimised. Far from being consumption, a lot of welfare spending is investment that pays back more than it costs, through increased productivity in the future.
Expenditure on education - especially early learning programmes such as Sure Start - childcare and school meals programmes is an investment in the nation's future productivity. So is investment in the NHS - an unhealthy population is not going to be a productive worksforce. Unemployment benefit, especially if combined with good publicly funded retraining and job-search programmes, such as in Scandinavia, helps people to hang onto their health, self-respect and skills that would otherwise be lost.
Tax is a not a burden
In return for paying taxes, we get an array of public services, from education, health and old-age care, through to flood defence and roads to the police and military.
However, all mainstream parties promulgate the false idea that tax is a burden. Ha-Joon Chang points out that this is as daft as claiming that paying for a curry or a beer is a burden. In each case, we get something in return, that is worth the price paid. The proof of the pudding is in the eating - if tax really were a burden, as Ha-Joon Chang says...
FULL ARTICLE NHS BILL
We reject "tax and spend" myths about the economy
There is no inherent virtue in balancing the nation's books - it all depends on the ever-changing circumstances.
This is because the economy is stagnating, although this stagnation has been masked by "an oceanic scale" of personal debt, funded by banks that have excess cash to splash around.
This economic stagnation is the entirely predictable consequence of successive governments' "austerity" policy - since, as we have seen, cutting public spending shrinks the economy.
Austerity is about dismantling the welfare state; the 2008 financial sector collapse was the shock that enabled successive UK governments to impose it - justifying it by phony "tax and spend" myths.
The ConDem and Conservative governments have inflicted the huge costs of this bailout on the British public. The poorest citizens, in the poorest regions, are being hit hardest.
The British government spent at least £1trillion bailing out the banksters whose unregulated greed caused the 2008 financial crash. This rescue package was equivalent to around 3/4 of the size of the entire GDP of the UK economy.
George Brown's Labour government then brought in McKinsey to tell it how to cut NHS spending. McKinsey duly set out the cuts proposals that have led to NHS England's 5 Year Forward View and the Sustainability and Transformation Plans.
Small wonder then that the 2017 Labour Manifesto - written by Jon Ashworth, formerly a special adviser to Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor - continues the austerity lie.
"all rich individuals and companies would move to Paraguay or Bulgaria, where the top rate of income tax is 10%. Of course, this does not happen because, in those countries, in return for low tax you get poor public services...
Japanese and German companies don't move out of their countries in droves despite some of the highest corporate income tax rates in the world (31% and 30% respectively) because they get good infrastructure, well-educated workers, strong public support for research and development, and well-functioning administrative and legal systems."
New Labour was complicit in the austerity lie. But the 2017 Labour Party says it is now an officially anti-austerity party with a leadership that was elected on the basis that austerity is a political choice.
Surely all politicians need to reflect on their party's entire policy approach - including its NHS and social care funding commitments.


text:
Q: how can i get my local DB data to fill my txt box using LINQ? I have learned this LINQ code in my School Study guide but they do not show us on text box only show us using properties for data bindings but I need to use LINQ code instead like I have done for the combo box data.
public partial class Students : Form
{

    LINQDataClasses1DataContext DB = new LINQDataClasses1DataContext();
    public Students()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }

    private void Students_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        //Retrieving data from datbaser using LINQ class convert it to list students ID's
        var StudentIDs = (from c in DB.Students select c).ToList();
        var STudentName = (from c in DB.Students select c).ToString();

        //bind the Student ID combo box to database
        cmbSTID.DataSource = StudentIDs;

        //Databinding setup for the Student ID combo box
        cmbSTID.DisplayMember = "SID";
        cmbSTID.ValueMember = "SID";
        cmbSTID.DataSource = StudentIDs;

A: as far as I can understand, in your code StudentIDs = StudentName, and it nither a list of students' IDs, nor a list of students' names, but a list of students. Let say you need to show the first student name in a textbox, then try smthing like textBoxName.Text =  StudentIDs.First().Name

A: I dont know what your Student class is so I can only guess it looks like this:
public class Student
{
    public long SID { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

Solution is simple:
private void Students_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    //Retrieving data from datbaser using LINQ class convert it to list students ID's
    var studentsList = DB.Students.ToList();

    //Databinding setup for the Student ID combo box
    cmbSTID.DisplayMember = "Name"; //Field name in Student class
    cmbSTID.ValueMember = "SID"; //Field name in Student class
    cmbSTID.DataSource = StudentIDs;
}


text:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<plugin xmlns="http://www.phonegap.com/ns/plugins/1.0"
           id="org.intel.identity"
      version="0.1.0">
    <name>Intel cloud services Identity</name>
    <description>Intel cloud services identity plugin</description>
    <license>MIT</license>
    <keywords>phonegap,calendar</keywords>

    <js-module src="www/intel.js" name="intel">
        <clobbers target="window.intel" />
    </js-module>

    <!-- android -->
    <platform name="android">
        <config-file target="res/xml/config.xml" parent="/*">
            <feature name="Intel">
                <param name="android-package" value="org.intel.identity.IntelSDKPlugin"/>
            </feature>
        </config-file>

        <lib-file src="src/android/frameworks/intel.cloudservices-1.0.1079.jar" arch="device" />

        <source-file src="src/android/IntelSDKPlugin.java" target-dir="src/org/intel/identity" />

        <!-- Android manifest !-->
        <config-file target="AndroidManifest.xml" parent="/manifest">
            <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
            <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
        </config-file>

        <config-file target="AndroidManifest.xml" parent="/manifest/application">
            <activity
                android:name="com.intel.core.ui.LoginActivity"
                android:label="@string/app_name"
                android:screenOrientation="portrait" >
                <intent-filter>
                    <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
                </intent-filter>
            </activity>
        </config-file>

     </platform>

    <!-- ios -->
    <platform name="ios">

        <config-file target="config.xml" parent="/*">
            <feature name="Intel">
                <param name="ios-package" value="IntelSDKPlugin" />
            </feature>
            <access origin="*intel*" />
        </config-file>

        <!-- Copy resource file bundle iOS -->
        <resource-file src="src/ios/bundle/Settings.bundle" />

        <!-- Copy the libraries Context SDK -->
        <source-file src="src/ios/frameworks/libContext.a" framework="true" />

        <!-- Headers of context framework -->
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/AccessToken.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ActionData.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ActionDataState.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/AppInstance.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Auth.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/AuthInitException.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/BatteryTrackingService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/BehaviorModels.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/CalendarTrackingService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/CallTrackingService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/CatalogService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/CloudConnector.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/CloudConnectorDelegate.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Common.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/CommonContextSDK.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ContactsTrackingService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Context.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ContextError.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ContextPusher.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ContextService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ContextUser.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/CurationService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/FeedbackStructure.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/IntelCloudServicesPlatformSDK.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Item.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ItemContext.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListActionType.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListCollection.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListCuration.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListDataset.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListenerCallback.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListenerInfo.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListItems.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListItemsCatalog.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListRecommendation.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListSchema.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ListState.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/LocalService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/LocalServiceDelegate.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/LocalServiceStartServiceDelegate.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/LocationClassifierListenerDelegate.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/LocationTrackingService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/LoginDialogDelegate.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Metadata.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/MusicTrackingService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/NetworkTrackingService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/OnStatusCallback.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/PaginationException.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ParameterException.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Place.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/PointOfInterest.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Profile.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ProfileService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ProfileUpdateException.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ProviderInfo.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ProviderPublishDelegate.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ProviderRegistry.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/PurchaseList.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/QueryItem.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/RateList.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Reachability.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/RecommendationService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ResourcesType.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Results.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ResultsOperation.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ReviewList.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/SensingPusher.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/SensingStates.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/SensingWatch.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Services.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/ServicesUtils.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/SessionHandler.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/SOLStumbler.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/StateDAO.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/StateManager.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/StateManagerDelegate.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/StateProviderDelegate.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/TokenInformation.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Types.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/User.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/UserService.h" target-dir="sdk_headers" />
        <header-file src="src/ios/frameworks/include/Watches.h" target-dir="sdk_sources" />

        <framework src="libsqlite3.dylib" />
        <framework src="MediaPlayer.framework" />
        <framework src="AddressBook.framework" />
        <framework src="CoreTelephony.framework" />
        <framework src="EventKit.framework" />
        <framework src="SystemConfiguration.framework" />

        <!--Copy the native files:-->
        <header-file src="src/ios/IntelSDKPlugin.h" />
        <source-file src="src/ios/IntelSDKPlugin.m" />
    </platform>
</plugin>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Merced County plans to bring more than 10,000 jobs to Castle
There is currently 75 tenants at Castle, including the most notable Waymo Google's self driving car company, which has over 150 staff on site and leases 105 acres of property from Merced County.
Waymo is currently the largest proprietary autonomous vehicle testing environment in Northern America, according to Mark Hendrickson, the county's community and economic development director.
"We are now focused on advancing the project," Mid-California International Trade District."
"The Mid-California International Trade District is a site that's going to be home to about 8.2 million square feet of primarily industrial space."
"Castle is going to be developed as a place where things will be built and manufactured because when things are being built, people are working and that is what the focus for the current Board of Supervisors is; they want to create an environment so the private sector can find success because the private sector is the one that actually creates jobs."
"With Castle we have been able to establish a host of several unique partnerships including 'Port of Los Angeles' which is the largest sea port complex in North America and has over 35,000 trucks per day that go in and out the Port of Los Angeles."
"Castle is now referred to their inland port, so we're now an extension for the Port of Los Angeles."
"We also have companies on Castle right now, doing work in regard to commercial space systems, getting ready to test engines associated with rocket deployment for satellites, we also have a business that builds large cranes which are being shipped to primarily the Asian market. Companies like Mercedes, Intel, and Samsung have been recently testing at Castle."
"Each one of these companies that were working with don't need to have a preparatory environment, where they lock up a certain amount acres, they can use the site for 2-3 weeks or a month to do their testing. We will be working with these companies independently."
"We're excited about this, because this will open the doors to the community having many Fortune 500 Companies operating our backyard doing research, technology, and development."
"We want Merced County to be a catalyst as a location for job creation, because ultimately the private sector will be making choices on where they should locate a business."
"The things that will make Castle attractive is it will be a less expensive place to do business then compared to someone from Los Angeles."
"This whole project primarily depends on the Atwater/Merced Expressway, which has to get extended from highway 99 to Castle."
As far as those abandon dorms are concerned, Mark Hendrickson tells Merced Daily,"The abandon dorms are unlivable, due to asbestos and contaminated ground water."
"As the project moves forward, you can't have a residential environment in the middle of a manufacturing park."
The abandon dorms will be demolished in the near future.
As the project continues to move forward, the whole project could bring more than 10,000 jobs, 15-20 years from now, According to Mark Hendrickson.
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Love Winton event happening this Saturday
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Merced County incidents from Friday 11/23/2018
Here's when the Merced Mall will start renovations


text:
Not only do these sellers enjoy increased favor with customers, but they also receive better placement on product pages and may qualify for Buy Box perks. By 'winning' the Buy Box, you will get default sales when a client clicks the "Add to Cart" button for your product. It's important to note that only professional sellers qualify to be featured merchants.
Sign up for Amazon Family and a Prime account to get special offers, coupons and discounts on family-oriented items. If you aren't a Prime member, you'll get a 5% discount on baby food and diaper subscriptions. Prime members get an additional 15% off with five or more active subscriptions. Get a 15% discount code and a free Welcome Box when you sign up for the Baby Registry.
Perhaps the most prominent Prime perk, however, is access to Amazon Prime Video. The video on-demand service started in 2006 as Amazon Unboxed, but was rebranded in 2008 and integrated into the Prime service three years later, where it became a huge selling point for Amazon's annual subscription. It now boasts thousands of free TV shows, films, and games, all accessible on pretty much every screen available.
When it comes to which shopping holiday will save you more—Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday—for years, Black Friday dominated, a tried and true tradition for many deal-saavy families. However, as retailers have rolled out sales on Thanksgiving (and even earlier) and more people have gravitated to online shopping, Cyber Monday has become a big draw for those who want to forgo the early wake-up call and long lines, and shop from the comfort of their couch.
Some other large e-commerce sellers use Amazon to sell their products in addition to selling them through their own websites. The sales are processed through Amazon.com and end up at individual sellers for processing and order fulfillment and Amazon leases space for these retailers. Small sellers of used and new goods go to Amazon Marketplace to offer goods at a fixed price.[148] Amazon also employs the use of drop shippers or meta sellers. These are members or entities that advertise goods on Amazon who order these goods direct from other competing websites but usually from other Amazon members. These meta sellers may have millions of products listed, have large transaction numbers and are grouped alongside other less prolific members giving them credibility as just someone who has been in business for a long time. Markup is anywhere from 50% to 100% and sometimes more, these sellers maintain that items are in stock when the opposite is true. As Amazon increases their dominance in the marketplace these drop shippers have become more and more commonplace in recent years.[citation needed]
Cyber Monday generally means more retailer-wide discounts, rather than product-specific ones that pop up on Black Friday, says Novickis. But occasionally, the specific products that do get marked down on Cyber Monday are serious steals. "If a merchant stocked up on a product for Black Friday and then it didn't sell as well as expected, there could be a deeper discount on Cyber Monday," she says.
Receive free products and exclusive discounts from Amazon with Amazon Giveaways! Click here to find thousands of current Amazon Giveaways that are added and updated every day. No purchase is necessary to win, and you can even score exclusive coupons for up to 40% off just for entering! It's really that easy, sow hat are you waiting for? Click here to get your amazing freebies today!
Twitch started in 2007 as a 24-hour live stream of co-founder Justin Kan's life (he coined the term "lifecasting") called Justin.tv, but it became very clear very quickly that live gaming content was more popular than pretty much anything else. In 2011, Twitch spun off gaming-centric channels as Twitch.tv, and it grew exponentially as online games and the technology to broadcast them live on the internet became more widespread and popular.
From $0 to $120,000 in monthly sales, Beardbrand.com is as incredible a story as they come. This is a company that lives and breathes the brand they've created, selling beard care products, beard grooming kits and other beard related propaganda. The owner of Beardbrand.com says it's his growth of such a unique, strong brand that's made him so successful.
Amazon employs a multi-level e-commerce strategy. Amazon started by focusing on business-to-consumer relationships between itself and its customers and business-to-business relationships between itself and its suppliers and then moved to facilitate customer-to-customer with the Amazon marketplace which acts as an intermediary to facilitate transactions. The company lets anyone sell nearly anything using its platform. In addition to an affiliate program that lets anyone post-Amazon links and earn a commission on click-through sales, there is now a program which lets those affiliates build entire websites based on Amazon's platform.[147]
A9.com, Inc.[3]AbeBooksAmazon AirAlexa InternetAmazon BooksAmazon Game StudiosAmazon Lab126Amazon Logistics, Inc.[3]Amazon PublishingAmazon RoboticsAmazon.com Services, Inc.[3]Amazon StudiosAmazon Web Services, Inc.[3]Audible Inc.Body LabsBook DepositoryDigital Photography ReviewGoodreadsGraphiqIMDbRingSouq.comTwitch.tvWhole Foods Market[4]WootZappos
In addition to strict acceptance to be sold by As Seen On TV Incorporated, Telebrands and other distributers, the most successful products have almost always served to provide a solution to a common problem - and this has inspired inventors worldwide to share their creations and push the industry. The industry leaders have always been smart when it comes to marketing, and have recently started making more of a transition towards ecommerce – using micro websites to push their products, and making good use of affiliate programs. Infomercials now support awareness in addition to creating it.